Yuri Kuma Arashi: A Lily By Any Other Name is a Bear

Did you know that “yuri” means lily? Did you also know that “yuri” is used on Japan to denote a girls-love story? You did? Good. Shall we continue?

The first episode of Yuri Kuma Arashi introduced us to the girl pictured above, Konomi Yurikawa, as the mouthpiece for one of three groups of three friends shown following Sumika Izumino’s presumed death.

There are many directorial staples for Kunihiko Ikuhara. One of the more pronounced ones is the use of a Greek chorus element. In Revolutionary Girl Utena, The Shadow Girls appeared with their signature phrase, “Have you heard, have you heard?” to dispense cheeky commentary on the series’ proceedings. Mawaru Penguindrum used public service announcements on the Maranouchi Line to frame each episode.

Yuri Kuma Arashi‘s second episode reprises this with the sequence shown above. The Arashigaoka students are still gossiping about Sumika’s demise, this time questioning the Wall of Severance’s ability to keep bears separated from humans along with mentioning that another girl is already missing. Again, they are neatly sorted, although none are presented with titles.

These titles, when present, are subtitled with katakana that reads “yuri” underneath them. Additionally, there are multiple characters, all with the “yuri” subtitle, that bear yuri in their name as well: the two transfer student bears, Lulu Yurigasaki and Ginko Yurishiro, Mitsuko Yurizono the student council president, Yurika Hakonaka the teacher (whose given name is also written in katakana), and the aforementioned Konomi Yurikawa. Yuri Kuma Arashi confirms in episode two that all of these characters – aside from the teacher who is neither confirmed nor denied – are bears.

At Sumika’s wake, held at the school, these characters are also singled out due to the lack of a black gull pattern surrounding their presence, including Kureha, her empty chair pictured above.

Kureha, who is neither bear, nor has “yuri” in her name, has been grouped with the bears. Furthermore, the messages from the peanut gallery in episode two indicate a lack of public trust in the Wall of Severance. How effective is a wall, if what it is meant to keep out insists on forcing its way in?

Aside from her family name of Yurikawa, there were no indicators that Konomi would turn out to be a bear. She only began to show bear-like tendencies when she admitted her longing for Mitsuko and grew jealous when Mitsuko paid more attention to Kureha. Mitsuko appeared in bear form only after she confessed to having feelings for Kureha. All of these bears appeared following extreme feelings of jealousy or lust.

“Only excluded individuals are truly delicious.”

-Mitsuko Yurizono, Yuri Kuma Arashi, episode two

There are also these parting words from Mitsuko, that what smells most delicious to the bears are the strong emotions of humans who are isolated or excluded from the rest of society. However, these are the same emotions that end up isolating the bears themselves. “Bear” has not yet been established as a permanent state of being, and is likely a result of one’s actions or emotions rather than something able to be separated from humans by a wall, even one titled “Severance,” which embodies the act of ending a relationship.

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6 comments

Ooooh wow now that you mention it every time they showed an important character yuri was under their name and I just saw yuri in their last names! Nice catch on that.

I am starting to wonder if there are any bears to begin with? Like do normal humans somehow turn into bears by giving into lust and jealousy or “animal instinct” which triggers the change in them? I know they have been throwing the true love quote into things so maybe if the love between two people isn’t “true” one or both eventually become bears? Either way I am sure there is some connection with that or everyone that is attracted to Kureha turn into bears LOL

Yeah, that’s what I’m thinking too: there are no “bears” just humans that turn into bears when they experience specific, strong feelings. I thought the scene between Ginko and Kureha was interesting, as Ginko said that she knew Kureha’s love was “true,” because she herself had a true love once.

Notably, Sumika was also said to be “excluded” and considered tasty by the bears, but they additionally remarked that her love was true as well, so perhaps if you genuinely love the other person, you will not turn into a bear, but if it’s simple, possessive lust (like Mitsuko or Konomi) you will.

Yuri seems to be on the up, for some reason. Which might not be to some of the fans liking. How long for, is another question altogether. I don’t think Yuri will gain a massive support or following like yaoi did. If it did, then it will be heavily guarded by the female fans. In very small instance where I poked fun of yuri love to a anime female friend of mine, she changed the nature of the relationship to a hetrosexual one. Even though she was play ‘flirting’ with another female anime fan.